What Could Have Been
by missinhalf
Summary: What could have been if he stayed and never left


From underneath the canopy of an old willow tree, Sasuke and Sakura admiringly watch their four year old daughter as she skips across the vast fields covered in an abundance of purple, blue, pink, and white wildflowers that decorate the dark green grass. Giggling to herself, Sarada happily chases after a purple butterfly that fluttered near her with her arms outstretched to her side.

Sasuke sits behind Sakura with his arms wrapped lightly around her waist as he leans against the rough truck of the willow tree. Sakura leans against her husband, feeling the rising and falling of his chest against her back. His warmth soaks into her back as she lightly lays her hands above his.

Their daughter's raven hair shines under the sun. Her doe, obsidian eyes persistently follows the purple butterfly that flies higher out of reach. Sarada stretches her hands upwards to try and catch the majestic insect, but she ends up tripping and tumbles to the ground.

The cool grass softens her fall, but she still ends up tearing up. She pulls herself up from the grass, but remains sitting on it. "The butterfly doesn't want to play with me anymore," their daughter cries from the distance. Small fingers reach their way up to wipe away the tears that spill from her eyes.

"Papa will play with you."

Sakura feels her husband's warmth leaving her back as he stands and makes his way towards their crying daughter. He places his hands around her waist and lifts her off the ground.

Sarada squeals in delight as she soars above her Papa's head. He drops her back down towards his chest and pushes her back up towards the sky.

"Again, again!" Sarada exclaims when her Papa brings her back towards his chest. "Again!"

Sasuke chuckles and raises her back into the sky.

"I'm flying, Mama! I'm flying!" Their daughter squeals with delight as she stretches her arms out to the side.

Sakura giggles from underneath the tree. She stands and brushes away any dirt or grass that may have gotten onto her light, blue jeans. She saunters towards her family, but before her keen emerald eyes her husband begins to become blurry.

Frowning, she shuts her eyes and rubs them in case anything got in between her eyelashes to disturb her vision, but as her pink eyelashes flutter open to reveal emerald eyes, Sasuke has become more blurry.

Her forehead crinkles as she's unsure why her husband would seem to be disappearing. Closing her eyes tightly again, she holds it close for a couple of seconds before she opens her eyes to see that her husband has vanished and their four year old daughter begins to fall to the ground.

"Mama! Mama!" Sarada screams at the top of her lungs.

Sakura wastes no times as she applies chakra to her feet and rushes towards her daughter. Watching as Sarada gets closer and closer towards the ground, Sakura dives, sliding along the grass with her arms outstretched so she could catch her.

"Mama! Help me!"

Sakura closes her eyes when she thinks she's right under Sarada. Slowly opening her eyes, Sakura looks into her hands. Her eyes widen with shock and horror as she finds that Sarada is not in them. Sakura quickly pulls herself off the ground and twists her body around to see if Sarada landed somewhere else, but she doesn't see her.

Sakura can clearly hear the cries from her daughter as she calls out for her, but she can't tell where they are coming from. The cries from her daughter leaves her in a state of worry and dread wondering where she could have gone. Did someone take her? Is she simply playing a prank on her?

"Mama!" The warmth and the light from the sun disappears behind dark, grey clouds that emerged from nowhere. The gust of the wind is vicious and cold as they rip through her hair and abuses her eyes causing tears to form.

She whips her head back and forth look all over for her. "Sarada!" She calls out as she quickly stands to her feet. "Sarada! Where are you?" She whirls around on her feet, but all she sees is the green of the trees and grass, and not the raven colour hair of her loved ones.

"Mama!"

* * *

A gasp escapes her lips as her eyes snap open and she abruptly sits upright in bed. Her right hand and head automatically whip to the right. Her hand is met with the coldness of the bed, and her eyes with a neatly spread bed. Emerald eyes fall as her fingers fist the bedsheet. Sakura's not surprised that she finds the spot beside her to be vacant because it had not been slept in in over three years. Though it's been three years, her heart still yearns for him; for his sweet smile, his soft skin, his gentle kisses, and how safe and secure she felt wrapped in his strong embrace.

Peeling off the blanket off her fit body, Sakura lazily makes her way out of her room and down the dark hallways towards her daughter's room. Her eyes are heavy with the desperate need for sleep, but determination and motherly love fights against the need for sleep to keep her eyes open.

Sakura slowly opens Sarada's room door to make sure she doesn't wake her and pokes her head inside. At the far end of the room, she sees Sarada deep in sleep, safe and sound. Opening the door wider, she squeezes through shutting the door behind her and carefully makes her way towards her. Sakura climbs into the opposite end of Sarada's bed and gently places her arm around her, pulling her to her chest. The sleeping child does not stir from her sleep which prompts Sakura to press a soft kiss against her forehead. Closing her eyes as she whispers against her forehead, "Even if you can't remember Papa he loves you so much. _So much._ And I know he misses you, misses _us_ just as much as we miss him. But it's alright, Sarada, because Mama is here. I'll always be here."


End file.
